School offering zero swimming lessons, son is now in year 6 and cant swim

[Jobseeker19]

Is it compulsory for a school to do swimming lessons?

My son has never had them and is now in year 6.

When I was a child we did it every year.

I asked them today and was told that they are not doing it because of covid, when I told them my child is in year 6 and never had them they told me they only do it in year 5 for one term thats it and thats how all primary schools do it.

They are chatting shit as I have had an older child through there who also never had lessons.

What can I do about it?

As mentioned upthread, your dc school might be an academy or free school, in which case they don't have any obligation to follow the national curriculum, including the requirement for swimming. So you'd be on a hiding to nothing complaining to anyone if it's an academy.

However, even if it's a maintained school, there's no realistic way the average child would learn to swim from the amount of lessons they'd get in the average maintained school now, even before the pandemic. So you can complain if it's not being provided at all, but you can't expect that your kids will learn to swim from it if it's reinstated. One hour a week for one term is standard, some schools do two terms. That hour includes changing time. Children who come to it already able to swim can do some cool advanced stuff, including basic livesaving skills for others. Those who can't swim at all will mostly leave able to stay afloat in calm pool water and swim (with bad technique but enough not to drown) half a width to a width.

You take him?

Pay for private lessons?

I didnt swim at school

I wasnt given private swimming lessons

I can still swim

Two terms of lessons iant enough to learn to swim anyway, not with the size groups they have

If you really wanted to you could find the money. Get a sim only phone or cut Netflix or something. You dont have to put all throw kids in right now either, get them to take turns

I learned to swim late (in my teens) because the school lessons just weren't enough to get me swimming. There are very few children's in my dcs class that aren't having lessons outside of school now and they're only 6

I remember swimming lessons in school, we went every week or every 2 weeks, we even gained our badges etc it’s how most of my friends learnt to swim, I’m not an exceptionally strong swimmer though m but another student tried to drown me and as a result I began to avoid water, I’m too embarrassed to go to adult swimming lessons!

@purplemunkey

God people are awful. So many posters on MN cannot seem to imagine people living in circumstanced other than their own. Not everyone can afford to pay for activities outside school. And yes, it is on the curriculum.

I think people can actually relate to being in other financial positions. Yes swimming may be on the curriculum for one year, but that isn't going to teach the OP's children how to swim lets face it. It's the "how much money and time arranging work should I be expected to do" That kind of comment absolutely blows my mind. Your children are your responsibility. There are weekend lessons, and as someone else pointed out you could teach one child at a time to reduce the costs.

I have 3 children two could be in one class but the other would be in a different swim class. How much of my time is going to be spent taking then to lessons and moving my work around that?!

Neither of mine were in the same class. I worked throughout their childhoods. Swimming lessons were the bane of my week. Hours sat either poolside or taking one to another activity while the first swam. It was a hideous nightmare.

But..... I did it for fucking years. From age 2 till the oldest passed their driving test and took them both. Because I valued it and no kid learns to be a strong swimmer with 20 mins in the pool for a few weeks at school.

Some parents can’t afford to feed their children so surely it’s pretty obvious not all parents can afford swimming lessons. It’s dangerous for children not to be able to swim. In an ideal world parents would be able to pay but we all know that’s not the case so it’s important for there to be some state provision for such an essential skill.

@Jobseeker19 we taught ourselves to swim. Schools have no where near enough time to teach swimming properly from sinker to swimmer. Its a parenting job I'm afraid.

Ourselves = ours! 😆

I feel really sorry for children that can't swim, who's parents expect school to teach them. We live in an affluent area and there was only three who couldn't swim. "stuck in the baby pool" It's embarrassing for them.

Mine swam regularly from babies (yes I know I was lucky to afford i), but really they were free until they were three years old, I just needed to buy a pass £30 pm, and we could go every day.

I agree with a PP that it's a waste of school time, when children can swim. Free crash courses for FSM children would be better.

I think swimming should be MUCH cheaper, its good for the nations health, it costs £12 for an hour at our fun pool.(1 adult 2 children)

I am not sure why you are getting a hard time here OP.

My kids all went swimming with school (to be fair they also did private lessons at the local pool, because I could afford to), and I was under the impression that it was part of the curriculum - I remember this as they can't charge you for it for this very reason, and we just paid for the bus.

I honestly can't remember how often they went but I'd say possibly a term/half term each year when in juniors, but I could be wrong.

My youngest is in year 9 now though so maybe things have changed.

Somethings should just be down to the parent in the first place .

If you really wanted to you could find the money. Get a sim only phone or cut Netflix or something. You dont have to put all throw kids in right now either, get them to take turns

Peak Mumsnet. Plenty of people already have pay as you go phones and no Netflix because they can't afford Internet, they still struggle to feed their kids and heat their houses. Swimming lessons are out of the question

Sadly there are going to be pupils who can’t get the lessons they would normally get through school because they weren’t able to go during the time they normally would. Schools will only have access to a limited amount of slots for swimming.

Year 5 and 6 go swimming in DS old school. Last year none of them got to go so the year 6s got very little in the way of swimming lessons as they missed most of the year before. It’s rubbish but what’s the alternative?

Either look for classes or take them and teach them the basics yourself

Book one or two into lessons and take the others swimming at the same time. Just copy what they are doing in the lesson. Our council pools do a subsidised rate to use the pool while a child is in lessons.

Its pretty disgusting that people are posting 'just pay!' without considering that some people, in fact many people, in this country cannot afford to.

I learnt to swim in school lessons in my state school in the 80s.

I think all kids should be taught at school to swim.

How old are your children OP?

I'm not in the UK so I can't comment on the curriculum. But I do live in a country where it is essential that a child is water safe. By this I mean if they had to fall in a pool, they know how to get themselves to up and to the side. Tbh most parents do this themselves with their child, although some babies/toddlers do have lessons. Learning to swim, as in all the strokes is the next phase. Are you children water safe? If not, please focus on this first. They need to be comfortable getting their face wet. So splash them in the bath. They probably won't like it but they have to get used to it Let them lie on their stomachs in the bath and learn to kick. Yes you will need to put towels down. Let them use a doggie paddle motion with their hands in the water. Practice breath holding. These small little things will help when you are able to get them to a pool.

It really is an essential life skill. Please do what you can to help them learn this skill.

You can't afford to teach your 3 DC how to swim? I think you needed to have thought of the cost of raising them before you had them then. You'll have to find the money, as pp said, it's a life skill

Comments like this are absolutely disgusting. You have no idea of OPs circumstances.

educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2021/07/13/did-you-know-swimming-and-water-safety-are-part-of-the-school-curriculum/

According to this thread they should scrap the millions of pounds paid out to schools to ensure ALL children can swim a small distance by the end of Primary.

@WaterAndRichTea

I didnt swim at school

I wasnt given private swimming lessons

I can still swim

Yes though I remember we did have swimming at secondary, not for long though.

I learned to swim in the sea, on holiday.

Our primary does a bit of swimming, but it's quite literally just a handful of trips one year then a handful another year. It isn't proper tuition; if you have a child who absolutely cannot swim, they're unlikely to come out of it a swimmer.

DS is now at a secondary school with its own pool, which means slightly more swimming, but end result is the same.

If you want your children to properly know how to swim, you need to take them swimming yourself, or take them to lessons. I realise you've already said you can't, but that's really the only way to learn.

As for the question, email the head and ask why they aren't providing lessons if it's part of the curriculum?

I was a single mother working part/full time and I made sure that I took my DDs swimming on a Saturday morning from age 4. They are both excellent swimmers now. I think you should take some responsibility for this and not put all the blame on school.

As a former teacher, with the time taken to get kids on the bus, to the baths, changed and in the pool, there was only about 30 mins to actually swim. You then have 30 kids with 1-2 teachers. No way are they going to learn to swim in that environment if they do not have some sort of ability already. Then when you add Covid to the mix it makes it even more difficult!

You could start with your oldest and take them for some lessons, even if just to get proficient enough that they could tread water if they fell in anywhere.

You are their parent. It is a life skill.

Swimming 25m by the end of year 6 is part of the curriculum so yes it’s the school’s responsibility.

We pay for lessons but are unusual for doing so at our school. The schools offering is very poor. One term a year. Add on covid and the DC in y6 haven’t had school swim lessons for almost 3 years.

YANBU @Jobseeker19 ignore some of the snarky replies you have received.

Swimming is part of the primary school curriculum and lessons should be provided. They may not be enough to make children an olympic swimmer but they would at least get the basics and some water safety. I worry that due to Covid some children may now never get even introductory lessons to swimming.

For those saying ' arranging it yourself' there are lots of parents on low incomes or who for various reasons don't or won't get round to taking their children to swimming pools which is why its so important that schools do take them.